Jack Campbell quickly notches first win as a Leaf, edging Ducks

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So much for Jack Campbell and Kyle Clifford easing their way into the Maple Leafs lineup. There is no time for it with a playoff position at stake. With that in mind, the team’s newest players were unleashed against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night.

They had only arrived in Toronto a day earlier after being traded late Wednesday by Los Angeles. It wasn’t even until hours before the game that they finally had a chance to meet most of their teammates.

“They are two great additions to our team and two really good guys,” said Jake Muzzin, who played with them on the Kings. “It’s a huge addition to our club.”

We’ll see. Both had good moments and bad in their debuts.

Campbell was not busy early and went on to turn aside 26 shots in a 5-4 overtime victory at Scotiabank Arena. But he allowed three goals in the third period, the last with 58 seconds left which sent the game into extra time.

Fans roared when Clifford, who plays a hard, physical game, engaged in a shoving match with Ryan Getzlaf in the second period. He was cheered all the way to the penalty box as both players were called for roughing. In the third period, however, he got caught for a holding infraction that led to a power-play goal by Anaheim’s Adam Henrique which erased another Toronto lead.

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Campbell got the starting nod over Michael Hutchinson, whose sub-standard play this week while filling in for the injured Frederik Andersen led to two successive defeats. Clifford played left wing on the third line with Jason Spezza and Kasperi Kapanen.

Both Campbell and Clifford were greeted warmly during the pregame introductions, and Campbell received cheers when he gloved a wrist shot by Getzlaf and kicked away another from Erik Gudbranson 30 seconds apart shortly after the puck dropped.

John Tavares scored the winner six seconds left in three-on-three. It was his second goal of the night. Andreas Johnsson, Auston Matthews and Spezza had the others. The goal was the 40th for Matthews, who is tied with Alex Ovechkin of Washington for the NHL lead. The 22-year-old centre has 23 goals in his past 25 games.

The victory moved the Maple Leafs nearer to the second wildcard position in the Eastern Conference. The Carolina Hurricanes currently hold it with 31 wins and 65 points in 54 games, with Philadelphia and Toronto next in line. Toronto has 65 points but has played one more game than Carolina and Philadelphia.

Campbell, who was 8-10-2 with the Kings this year while serving as Jonathan Quick’s backup, unveiled a new goalie mask before the game that honours his hometown of Port Huron, Mich. He grew up on the border across from Ontario and was thrilled to be traded to the Maple Leafs.

“It’s going to be a blast," the 28-year-old said of his first start after Friday’s morning skate. "There will be some nervous excitement in all its best ways. The biggest thing is getting a win for this city and the fans.

“It’s time to have some fun and get it done.”

A former first-round draft pick of the Dallas Stars, Campbell bounced around for six years before he found a home with the Kings.

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“I’ve kind of been through it all in my career," Campbell said. "There were a few years that were pretty rocky but then some really good ones the last four years. I feel every moment I have had prepared me for this, and I am so excited do whatever I can to help this team.”

Clifford spent a decade in Los Angeles and became a fan favourite for his ornery demeanour on the ice. The Maple Leafs have sorely lacked someone with such moxie since they traded Nazem Kadri over the summer.

As of Friday, Clifford had accumulated 819 minutes in penalties, 60 goals and 129 points in 660 regular-season games. He was assessed another four minutes for unrukly behaviour on Friday night.

“He is a warrior,” Campbell said. “He has that edge to his game any team can use.”

Clifford won two Stanley Cups with Los Angeles and was one of the longest-tenured players on the team. He is 29, a gritty forward who rubs opponents the wrong way, and has missing teeth to show for it.

“He has some elements that we don’t have,” Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas said. “We’ve shied away from players that have them but can’t play. He can play, and those guys aren’t in abundance any more. It is just not common these days."

Toronto went ahead 1-0 with 15:24 left in the first period when Johnsson netted a puck from the right side following connect-the-dot passes from Mitch Marner and Matthews.

The Ducks tied it six minutes later when Nicolas Deslauriers snapped a shot past Campbell from 24 feet away. It was only Deslauriers’s second goal in 43 games and came on Anaheim’s third shot of the night.

Tavares found the corner of the net to put Toronto ahead 2-1 with 16:22 left in the second period. It is the third game in a row in which Toronto’s captain has scored. Matthews fired a hard wrist shot past Ryan Miller with 6:42 remaining before the second intermission to make it 3-1.

The Ducks, who have scored the second-fewest goals in the NHL season, edged closer when Max Jones flipped a short-handed backhand past Campbell with 11:26 remaining to cut the margin to 3-2, and then Adam Henrique tied it 3-3 three minutes later with Clifford in the penalty box after being caught holding an opponent’s stick.

That set up some late heroics from Spezza, who scored with 3:27 left, and an equalizer from Derek Grant with 58 seconds left.

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Toronto controlled the puck during overtime and eventually beat Miller to win in the waning seconds.

Campbell’s mother and father made the drive from Michigan to watch him play. They only had rare opportunities when he played for Los Angeles.

“It wasn’t great on my end,” he said of his shaky third period. “It is unacceptable for me to do that. I know I have the ability to make a couple of those saves.”

His teammates were less critical.

“He looked very calm and kept his composure,” Tavares said. “It’s not an easy spot for him to come in. It’s been a whirlwind for him.”

The Maple Leafs travel to Montreal to play the Canadiens on Saturday night. It is uncertain if Andersen, who suffered a neck injury against the Florida Panthers on Monday, will return to play.

If not, Campbell will start on back-to-back days.

“I’m excited to play whenever they put me in,” Campbell said. “I’ll clean up my game. I am confident in our team.”